FIFTY YEARS
OF THE HOUSTON FIELD HOUSE

Harold Anson í52 Florence, Ore.

I was born and raised
in Lake Placid, N.Y. While in high school and in my early college years
at St. Lawrence University, I worked summers at the Olympic Arena working
on the ice sheet, making ice and giving lessons during public skating
sessions. Jack Garren was the manager of the arena and had been since
he built the facility in 1931 in preparation for the 1932 Winter Olympic
Games in Lake Placid. Garren developed the summer ice session in Lake
Placid into the nationís finest, attracting most of the top figure skaters
and best skating instructors in the U.S.

In the late 1940s
he was hired by Rensselaer to develop the Navy warehouse into an ice rink
and events center. I transferred to RPI from St. Lawrence in the summer
of 1950 after completing a pre-engineering program. I wanted a summer
job so went to the Field House and asked Garren for a job.

Garren asked if I
would be able to work the ice sheet in the winter during school. I had
the experience he needed and told him yes. I rode the plane behind a jeep,
scraped the ice and pushed the 50-gallon barrel to flood the ice surface
between periods of hockey games.

During this time
the Troy Figure Skating Club was formed. Dr. Livingston Houston, the president
of RPI, and Dick Schmeltzer from the administration building, attended
their sessions regularly. The U.S., World, and Olympic champion menís
figure skater at the time was Dick Button. Dick came to the Field House
to see Mr. and Mrs. Garren, whom he knew through his many summers skating
in Lake Placid. The two men shared mutual admiration.

During my years at
RPI the hockey team went from two lines, three defensemen, and the lacrosse
goalie to a top Eastern Collegiate team under the direction of Ned Harkness.
Nedís dad did a lot of scouting for aspiring Engineers who were playing
in the junior programs in Southeastern Canada.

The basketball team
also played their games in the Field House on a tongue-and-groove flooring
that was placed over the ice sheet and then removed after the game for
skating the next day.

The rink included
a skate rental area and a skate sharpening shop for the hockey players.
RPI also supported an amateur hockey league of teams representing the
cities in the surrounding area.

When the ice was
removed in the spring, the building was used for many shows that were
touring the country, including the Boston Symphony, the NY State Sportsmen
show, Gene Autry, George Shearing, and Bob Hope. This addition of culture
aided in bringing the university and the community together.